Friends and Best Friends
by Tiny Wolverine
Summary: For the one and only SunflowerWielder! Based on the Friends/Best Friends on my homepage. Lightning's mad, Vanille's in tears... it looks like Hope must step in! What does he have in mind? Mission: AI Lightning make up with Vanille begins... T in case.


**Friends and Best Friends  
**_oneshot by Dawn_

**That's right! I'm back! –hears groans- ... well, thanks!**

**This is dedicated to SunflowerWielder (-tacklehugs-) who is truly one of the best friends one will ever find/need/get, and an amazing/awesome/hysterically funny person. I'm lucky to have met her! –big grin- WE LOVE YOU SUNNY!! And I say we because it sounds lesbo if I said 'I love you'. :D**

**And this is for everyone in the forums, all of whom have been great friends to me even when I'm throwing a fit :D Luffles to all of you! –salutes-**

**Enjoy and please review!!

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**Friends and Best Friends**

"Shut up Vanille! You're so annoying, do you know that?"

Oerba dia Vanille's lower lip began to tremble, but Lightning ignored her and stormed off, fuming. Snow and Sazh exchanged glances as the strawberry-haired woman stomped her way out the door and the empty farmhouse that probably belonged to a Chocobo-farmer. Hina chirruped uncertainly, and Sazh patted the top of her tufty head. "Shush, Hina."

As soon as Lightning was out of sight and earshot, Vanille burst into noisy tears. Hope moved over and hugged her, comforting her as she always did him.

A plan started to form in his head, and both Snow and Sazh exchanged uneasy glances when they saw the look on the young boy's face...

--

A few hours later, Lightning stumbled back through the door, exhausted but still furious. If not for her lack of MP and potions, she would have continued on to destroy every dangerous being in the wilderness.

As her head hit the pillow, the crackle of parchment caught her attention. Sitting up, she took the folded piece of paper and frowned at it. Her name, in Vanille-like script, caught her eye, and she frowned. Was Vanille apologizing?

She opened the paper and smoothed it out, then began to read...

_**Friends... will comfort you when he rejects you. **_

_That's true,_ she reflected on the time when she, in her drunken state, had asked the Prince Noctis out. He was shocked, and of course declined as politely as possible. Even drunk, she could tell he wasn't used to female company.

But she was upset, and Lebreau had comforted her while Vanille...

_**Best friends... will go up and ask him, "It's because you're gay, isn't it?" **_

Lightning's lips twitched as she recalled the memory. Vanille, the cute little protective sweetheart she was at fifteen, had danced up to him and asked him exactly that. The look on his face was priceless, especially since she all but shouted it. Almost everyone had turned their heads to stare at the blushing Prince, who protested that it was because he didn't really think he had the time...

But that's another story.

Lightning continued on to read.

_**Friends... help you find your prince. Best friends... kidnap him and bring him to you.**_

Vanille had never actually _kidnapped_ him; she just, according to her, borrowed him for a while. But still...

_**Friends... will be there for you when he breaks up with you. Best friends... will call him up and whisper, "Seven days..."**_

The Soldier's eyebrows went up –way up. Vanille, did do that to him when he told her that he couldn't go out with his enemy, that it was too... what was his word? Mind-blowing. Especially since, "you're too good for me. You're beautiful and wonderful in every way in my eyes, but...". Even after Vanille had rung the Prince up and scolded him for breaking up with her, Lightning cursed his father to this day.

_**Friends... help you up when you fall. Best friends... keep on walking while saying, "Walk much, dumbass?"**_

Knowing that she would eventually forgive her, Vanille often teased Lightning in her youth about her sense of equilibrium – or rather, lack thereof. Lightning would always scowl at her, but knew Vanille meant well.

_**Friends... will ask you if you're okay when you're crying. Best friends... will laugh at you and say, "Ha ha, loser!"**_

Which brings us back to the point: Vanille knew how close they were, and knew that Lightning would forgive her in a while. Although Lightning never cried after losing her parents. Vanille always knew when to stop teasing and start comforting if the Commander was upset.

_**Friends... will offer you a soda. Best friends... will dump theirs on you.**_

The redhead was always trying to get her to laugh... It wasn't that Lightning didn't appreciate the fact, it was just... sometimes, it went a bit over the top.

_**Friends... will sit at the side of the pool with you at that time of the month. Best friends... will throw you a tampon and push you in.**_

Lightning felt a slight blush come over her cheeks as she recalled the time they had gone to a lake. While Hope, Snow and Sazh dove right in and started splashing around, Vanille had gone up to her and asked why she wasn't playing with them. She had tried to make up an excuse, but Vanille had caught on when she saw her shifting uncomfortably.

And guess what happened?

Vanille had, of course, grinned mischievously and just dragged her over to the water's edge, then shoved her inside. Lightning had sworn never to forgive her for that, but she had.

Unfortunately.

_**Friends... give you their umbrella in the rain. Best friends... take yours and say, "Run, idiot, run!"**_

Sweet memories. Not.

_--_

_Lightning looked up at the sky and frowned. "It's going to rain."_

_Vanille ignored her and continued to dance around the lamppost. Lightning moved to nudge her. "Vanny? Didn't you hear me? It's going to rain." She was holding her umbrella, luckily._

_Immediately, the heavens opened and water gushed down on them. Promptly, Vanille snatched Lightning's umbrella from the latter and ran for it. "Run, Lightning!" through her laughter, it was hard to make out the words. "Run!!"_

_--_

_**Friends... will help you move. Best friends... will help you move the bodies.**_

--

"_Oh God, Lightning, what have you done?"_

_Fourteen year old Vanille stared at her friend as blood dripped from her trembling hands. Lightning stood with her face hidden in the shadow, her body shaking as she tried to reject the images her mind brought up. _I didn't kill them. I didn't touch them.

_Vanille walked over to Lightning, who cringed back and shot her a warning glance. _If I kill _her..._

_The younger girl sighed and started to move the bodies of the strangers who had tried to grope her. Lightning had half-expected her to run for it, but... this proved how good a friend Vanille was._

"_Come on, they're heavy. You're the muscles of us, help me move 'em."_

_Lightning nodded, and together they disposed of the bodies._

_--_

_**Friends... will bail you out of jail. Best friends... would be in the room next to you saying, "That was awesome! Let's do it again!"**_

_--_

"_Well, we tried!" Vanille said cheerfully._

_Lightning scowled – she never got caught._

"_Now, all we have to do is wait for Snow to come and get us out... hopefully Shiva's over her little tantrum." How could the girl stay so cheerful?_

_Still scowling, Lightning turned her back on her friend and glared at the wall..._

_--_

_**Friends... never ask for anything to eat or drink. Best friends... help themselves and are the reason why you have no food.**_

_**--**_

"_Vanille, have you seen my Gummy Bears?"_

_Vanille blinked at the empty gummy bear packet she was holding, then scrunched it up and tucked it into her pockets. "No..."_

_--_

_**Friends... call your parents by Mr. and Mrs. and Grandpa, by Grandpa. Best friends... call your parents DAD and MOM and Grandpa, GRAMPS!**_

_**--**_

"_Hey! Are you Lightning's mom and dad? Nice to meet you! I'm Vanille."_

_Lightning cleared her throat, but Vanille ignored her. "Can I call you Mom and Dad too?"_

"_Vanille..."_

"_Shut up Lightning. Was she like this as a kid too?"_

"_Vanille!"_

"_Shut UP Ligthning!"_

"_... They aren't my parents."_

_The two lawsuits blinked rapidly at Vanille as she blushed. "Oh."_

_--_

_**Friends... have never seen you cry. Best friends... won't tell everyone else you cried. They just laugh about it with you in private when you're not down anymore.**_

Okay, she lied. She has cried. But only once, a long time ago. Before she became who she was now.

--

"_Lightning?"_

_Vanille knocked on her door. The older girl sniffed and ground out, "Go 'way."_

"_Are you _crying_?"_

_Lightning stood up and opened the door so quickly that Vanille looked a little blur, having not known what just happened. The strawberry-headed girl scowled. "Give the girl a prize," she said bitterly._

_For the rest of the night, Vanille sat with her and comforted her._

_The next day, when Lightning was happier, Vanille gently teased her about it. Lightning guessed she deserved that; she'd kept her up most of the night._

_--_

_**Friends... ask you to write down your number. Best friends... have you on speed dial.**_

_**--**_

Ring ring! Ring ring!

Beep.

Lightning? Answer your goddamned phone!

_... _

_Lightning pulled her pillow over her head. _

_A few seconds later..._

Ring ring! Ring ring!

Beep.

I'm gonna keep calling you!!

...

_She scowled._

Ring ring! Ring ring!

Beep.

I SHALL SING!!!

...

Oh dear Etro, please no,_ Lightning thought, and tightened her arms around the pillow on her head._

Ring ring! Ring ring!

Beep.

Da daba dee dabada, daba dee dabada... doo doo.

_..._

Etro, I hate you too.

Ring ring! Ring ring!

_With a scowl, Lightning picked up her phone. Without even a greeting, she snapped, "GET ME OFF YOUR SPEEDIAL, VANILLE!"_

_--_

_**Friends... borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back. Best friends... lose your stuff and tell you, "My bad...here's a tissue."**_

_--_

"_Vanille, you have my Gummy Bears, and I want them back."_

_Vanille blinked. "Okay. Let me go to the toilet and plumb it back out..."_

_Lightning groaned, and covered her face with her hands._

_--_

_**Friends... will leave you behind if that is what the crowd is doing. Best friends... will kick the whole crowd's ass for leaving you.**_

_**--**_

"_COME BACK HERE! YOU DO NOT LEAVE LIGHTNING! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"_

_Lightning held her head as Vanille proceeded to yell at everyone for leaving her behind... most of them just stared at her like she was crazy._

_Maybe she was._

_--_

_**Friends... would knock on your front door. Best friends... walk right in and say "I'M HOME!!"**_

_**--**_

"_Has anyone seen Vanille lately? She hasn't been back since last week."_

"_She said she was hunting," Lightning replied in a bored tone. Snow rolled his eyes. _

"_Like we don't have enough chocobos to eat already!" Sazh growled._

"_... I think that's just it," Hope mumbled back. The poor boy was fighting to keep his eyes open. "She always tried to stop us eating KFC, remember?"_

_A door slammed._

"_Vanille?" Hope called, brightening._

"_HI HONEYS, I'M HOME!!"_

_Lightning covered her face with a pillow. "Etro, I hate you, but please, if you can't save me, save my eardrums."_

_Snow tossed her a smirk. "They say the first step to insanity is talking to yourself."_

_--_

_**For friends... you have to tell them not to tell anyone. But for best friends... they already know not to tell.**_

_--_

"_Yeah yeah, I won't say a word! Jeez, pushy much?"_

_Vanille hung up on her friend, and called Lebreau. "Hey, Libby, wanna meet up for coffee? I've got some gossip on Noctis and Lightning at last..."_

_--_

_**Friends... will be there to take your drink away from you when they think you've had enough. Best friends... will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, "Girl, drink the rest of that! You know we don't waste!"**_

_--_

"_GO LIGHTNING GO! SHOW 'IM THAT US GIRLS CAN BEAT GUYS IN EVERY WAY!"_

_Snow glared at her through bleary, alcohol-vision eyes. "I CAN BEAT YOU ANYTIME!!" he shouted, and downed another glass before promptly passing out._

_Lightning stared at the glass in her hands, and put it down. As she stood up, Vanille drunkenly caught hold of her hand and shook her head. "Drink up, Lightning! Show 'em what we're made of!"_

_--_

_**Friends... are only through high school/college. Best friends... are for life.**_

_How true_, Lightning thought, and looked over at the girl sleeping on the broken couch. The tear tracks were still visible on her face.

With a sigh, Lightning got up and moved to the girl, then wrapped her arms around her.

She woke up.

"Lightning?"

The older woman smiled. "Thanks for being such a great friend, Vanille."

--

The next day, when Hope saw the two women bantering on about something like normal, he smiled.

_Mission: Almost Impossible, succeeded. Now, who has my Gummy Bears...?

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**Over and out!**

**Please review!**


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